


Would You Rather

by Below_Average_Fangirl



Series: Predicaments [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Betaed, F/M, Trapped In Elevator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 04:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21810298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Below_Average_Fangirl/pseuds/Below_Average_Fangirl
Summary: Reader is stuck in the turbo lift with Doctor McCoy. With nothing else to do they end up playing would you rather and learn a few things about one another.
Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Reader
Series: Predicaments [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1565647
Comments: 4
Kudos: 120





	Would You Rather

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: A big thank you to @dira333 from Tumblr for their input on this story and feedback. It would not be as good without it.

Your 12-hour shift had just finished and you were eager to get to your quarters to remove your boots, they were beginning to pinch. You were shifting from foot to foot to relieve the pressure on your aching feet when you heard a familiar voice behind you.

“Lt?” You turned to see Doctor McCoy walking towards you, looking mildly amused at your shuffling.

“My feet ache.” You said, pained.

He gave you a look of mutual understanding.

As he came and stood alongside you, the doors to the turbo lift opened. You both stepped aside to allow two Ensigns out, then McCoy gestured for you to enter first.

You gave him a nod of thanks and he stepped in behind you, the doors closing as he offered some advice.

“When you get back to your quarters, be sure to get a warm, wet towel, and wrap it around your feet and legs and elevate them for 15-20 minutes. It'll help ease the aches.”

“Thanks for the tip Doctor.” You appreciated his concern.

The lift had only just begun to move when there was a shudder and the lights flickered before going out. The turbo stopped, then the emergency lights came on.

“What the hell?” McCoy groaned.

You went over to the control panel to see if you could get a reading on what was going on. It was dead to your touch, so you removed the cover of the command screen.

“Lt Y/L/N, should you be messing with that?” McCoy asked worriedly.

You were confused at his questioning. “It is _literally_ my job to mess with stuff like this. Otherwise, I'm wearing the wrong colour.”

He looked you up and down, then at your red uniform. “Fair point.” He conceded. 

You shook your head, amused, then focused your attention back on the console, the dimness of the emergency lights were making it hard to assess the situation.

As you worked on the console McCoy started to pace back and forth behind you, mumbling to himself.

You glanced over your shoulder at him. "You okay Doctor McCoy?" 

“Do you think the ship is under attack?”

“Well, we're not being thrown about so I don't think anyone is shooting at us.” 

“True, true.” He continued to mull over possibilities. “Maybe it's a raid and someone's disabled the ship to board us?”

“Ah, your good old fashioned space pirates.” You focused your attention back on the console. "I'm sure we would have detected any approaching ships.”

You heard McCoy hum in agreement. He was silent for a while then asked, “We have enough air, right?”

You tried not to laugh. You'd heard about Doctor McCoy's _epic_ catastrophizing, but you'd never witnessed it up close before. You acknowledged his concern and answered. “Yes”, Trying to keep your amusement out of your voice.

McCoy continued pacing vigorously back and forth behind you.

“Careful doctor or you'll wear the floor out and then you might fall through.”

McCoy stood stock still, you could feel his eyes on your back, you looked over your shoulder at him.

“You mocking a senior officer Lt?” His tone implied he was being stern, but he was smiling.

“Never.” Your face was a picture of innocence.

McCoy crossed his arms. “Mmm,” He leant against the wall next to you. “Well, what's the prognosis then?”

You could see that there was no power running to the console, you wouldn't be able to solve the problem on your end. “That we're stuck.”

McCoy nodded. “And what do you propose we do?”

“Well…” You went to the back wall of the lift and sat down, happy to take the weight off your feet. “This.” You said, looking up at him.

“What, we just…”

“Sit and wait to be rescued. Yep”

“But how long will we be stuck here?” McCoy asked, mildly incredulous.

You shrugged. “No idea.” And patted the space beside you. “Come on, come be a damsel in distress with me.”

McCoy raised an eyebrow at the description, you stifled a laugh, but he came over and sat beside you as he grumbled about God, damn, metal death traps. You tried to stop yourself from grinning.

You'd been on the Enterprise for 3 months now, and in that time you'd only, properly, interacted with Doctor McCoy once, when he'd carried out your physical. After that, you'd only had occasional chit-chats when you bumped into one another. That said, you liked Doctor McCoy. You had liked him immediately on your first meeting. You weren't surprised at how highly the crew regarded him. Even if people did consider him a bit of a grump, it was a term of endearment, not a criticism. 

You had wanted to get to know him better, but the opportunity had never arisen. As of yet, you hadn’t been on any away missions with him and you mixed in different circles when off duty. So now was as good a time as any, you thought, to get to know him better. 

You broke the silence and asked. “Would you rather lose the ability to read or lose the ability to speak?”

McCoy turned his head, looking at you confused. “I'm sorry, what?”

“Would you rather lose the ability to read or lose the ability to speak?”

McCoy shook his head. It was clear that he still had no idea what you were talking about, so you explained.

“It's a game, you take turns to give a scenario and you state your preference. So, would you rather lose the ability to read or lose the ability to speak?”

He blinked at you.

“Unless you prefer the silence.” You said nonchalantly.

“No, no I'm happy to play along. I just need to take a second to think about it. Reading.” McCoy decided. “If I couldn't verbally express my displeasure, I think my head might explode.”

You nodded. “I got that feeling from the catastrophizing about space pirates.”

“Yeah I know, I know.” McCoy said, rolling his eyes. “I can be a bit dramatic.”

“A bit?”

He gave you a pointed look. “Alright, what about you, what do you pick?”

You took a breath. “Speaking. I don't think I could cope with not being able to curl up on the couch to read my favourite book. Or get lost in reading a new one.”

“The computer can always read to you.” He suggested.

“Mmm” You shook your head. “Not the same experience. I like the solitary nature of reading.” You gently tapped him on the arm. "Now it's your turn to come up with one.”

“Okay.” He thought for a second. “Would you rather lose all of your memories, from birth to now, or lose your ability to make new long-term memories?”

“Oh wow. ” You shifted on the floor to face him. “You're going deep already.”

He shrugged. “Just the kind of man I am.”

You smiled at him, then mulled over the question. “God that's a hard one. What do you pick?”

“Easy, the past. Forget all that heartache. Begin again”

You were taken aback by how sincere and quickly he answered that you had to question him on his reasoning. “No one's past is filled only with heartache. I think you are purposely ignoring a few happy moments.”

“Are you implying I'm a pessimist?”

You shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”

He did not seem offended by your answer. You had always assumed he knew the kind of man he was. He smiled even, almost as if he was admiring you for not shying away from calling him out of it.

“I mean. You continued. "Think of all the happy memories of loved ones you’d lose.”

“True. But if you can't forge new memories, then you're forever stuck in your past. No matter how good the past may have been, isn't it better to keep moving forward?”

You nodded, appreciating his answer. “Then maybe it is the past you lose?”

“Your turn.” He said.

You were grinning. “Would you rather argue and be wrong or admit you're wrong and tell Spock he's right?”

McCoy scoffed. “I'd rather _die_ before admitting Spock was right, about anything.”

You laughed. “Dying wasn't part of the options, but good to know how strongly you feel about that.”

You were bouncing ideas off each other now.

“Would you rather live near the beach or in a cabin in the woods?” He asked.

“Beach. I love the sea air and looking out at the horizon. Feels like you have _infinity_ stretching out before you.”

“Infinity stretching out before you, huh.” McCoy repeated, looking at you inquisitively. “Is that why you joined Starfleet? All that infinity carrying on, forever, into nothing but darkness and silence.”

You snorted, he was pessimistic but poetic in it. "But think of all that possibility. All those new worlds to discover and explore, new species to meet...”

“With all those diseases to catch and spread around.” He interrupted morosely. "With nothing but the dark expanse of space all around."

You looked away, shaking your head. “Did they forget to tell you when you joined, that Starfleet was all about space exploration? I mean, if you don’t like space or exploration, what made you join?”

"An empty bottle of bourbon.” 

You laughed, unaware how close to the truth his glib remark was. "Starfleet must be the worst hangover you’ve ever had.”

McCoy scoffed. “You have no idea sweetheart. If the darkness and silence weren’t enough to send a man over the edge, it's some crackpot trying to blow you out of the sky and kill you.” 

“So, I’m guessing it would be a cabin in the woods for you. On your own with no people to annoy you or to try and kill you.”

“Actually I’d pick the beach. I'd feel shut in too if I lived in the woods.”

“Are you claustrophobic?” You asked, placing a hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze to offer reassurance. 

He stole a glance at your hand on his arm. “No. I'm just not a fan of feeling contained.” 

“You're coping alright being stuck in here.”

“Yeah, well.” He gave you his most charming smile, as he placed his hand on top of yours. The warmth of his touch sent a tingle down your spine. “A pretty woman will take my mind off anything.”

You rolled your eyes and groaned, good-naturedly at his line. “Ah okay, so it's true what I've heard.”

“What have you heard?” He asked, a boyish grin on his face.

“That you're a bigger flirt than Captain Kirk.”

He tilted his head, looking at you with interest. He then leaned into you and whispered. “It's just part of my southern charm darlin'.”

You felt a flutter of butterflies in your stomach. They increased tenfold as he gave you that soft smile that made his eyes sparkle. Crap, he was so beautiful when he smiled, you thought.

You swallowed, suddenly nervous. “I bet you end up breaking a lot of hearts.”

He shook his head. “Never knowingly.”

You licked your lips. “That's what I thought.”

The air in the lift was charged as you stared keenly at each other. You were completely taken in by those hazel eyes of his. You wondered if you should make the next move when suddenly the emergency lights flickered off and the regular ones came back on. You blinked at the harsh white light. The turbo lift was on the move again and Mr Scott was speaking over the comm.

“Everyone alright in there?”

You hastily stood and pressed the comm to answer him, telling him that you were both okay. He started to explain what had happened, but you weren't listening, your attention was focused on Doctor McCoy who was still sat on the floor, looking up at you. You suddenly became very aware of how short your dress uniform was.

“Okay. Thank you, Mr Scott” You said absentmindedly, closing the commlink, without realizing Scotty hadn't even finished explaining.

McCoy stood as the lift came to a halt, no one was waiting on the other side of the doors and once again he indicated for you to go first.

You walked through the corridor, side by side, in silence. You felt an urge to lean into him, to allow your hand to brush 'accidentally' against his, but you resisted. Instead, you stole little glances at him until you both stopped as your quarters came up first.

“Well, thank you Lt for the interesting game," McCoy said as he faced you, "And for curing me of my fear of small spaces.” 

“You're welcome doctor, I learnt a lot about you.”

“Hope it hasn’t put you off me.” 

You smiled warmly at him.

There was a beat before you wished each other goodnight and McCoy turned to leave as you opened your door, but he stopped when you called after him.

“Doctor McCoy.”

He faced you. “Yes, Lt.” There was a gentle smile on his face that gave you hope.

You bit your lip, summoning your courage to take a risk, “Would you rather have a kiss goodnight on the cheek or lips?”

McCoy didn’t say anything as he closed the distance between you both, he pretended to think deeply on the question.

You were drowning in the sound of your heartbeat in your ears as you waited for his answer.

“Well given the circumstances and being the epitome of a southern gentleman...It would have to be neither.”

Your face fell slightly, but then McCoy took your hand. 

“Seeing as I haven’t taken you out on a date yet,” He brought your hand to his lips, “I’ll have to leave it at this, for now.” 

You laughed softly and despite your knees turning wobbly you felt emboldened. Standing on your tiptoes you reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek.

You pulled back. "Afraid I'm no southern bell doctor."

McCoy rested his hand against the doorframe just above your head. His eyes were glued to your lips while you kept your eyes fixated on his hazel ones.

You could see what he was thinking and you smiled playfully at him as you stepped back into your quarters, but as he moved to follow you put a hand to his chest and gently pushed him backwards.

"But I'll leave it at that, for now." And you closed the door.


End file.
